Oil-cooler



patented lrmrgeo,y 1920.-.l

a sains-SHEET 1.

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fR. c. JONES. 1

- OIL COOLER.

v APPLICATION FILED JULY 1 6, 1917.

Patented Mar. 30, 1920.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

er y

- AnaB/V515 R'. C. JONES..

0IL COOLER.V

APPLICATION FILED JULY 16, 1911.

Patented Mar. 30, 1920 3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

A TTR/VEKS condensation'or vaporization of either fluid,- but it may .be used also as elther a boiler "an .apparatus of this character of small ex- En STATES' PATENT onirica.

RUSSELL c. JoN'Es, or BaoNxvILLE, NEW Yoan, assIGNoiz. To THE camcom-RUSSELL COMPANY, A. CORPORATION 0F DELAWARE.

OIL-COOLER.

clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the artto which it appertains to makey and use the same.

This invention relates to apparatus for heating or cooling fluids in whlch the heat i's transferred from one luid to another. The apparatus is Vparticularly applicable to the transfer of heat Where there is no or condenser.

One object of the invention is to provlde ter-lor dimensions but having a long path of movement for the liquid4 to be cooled, whereby the liquid in its passage through the apparatus may be kept in continuous motion Aat a sufciently rapid rate to utilize the cooling surface to its greatest eili'ciency and at the same time obtain the desired drop in ytemperature of the fluid to be cooled.

A' further object of the' invention is to provide an 4apparatus of this character in which the Huid to 'be cooled is maintained in continuous motion in the same direction mstead of in a zigza direction with a re- 35` thereby avoiding the uid friction and loss versing motion' aseretoforepractised,

of pressure which result when the rate of flow is sufficiently rapid to efliciently utilize the heat transferring surface.

A further object of the invention is to provide an apparatus of this character which will work with equal eliciency in anyposition, either vertical, horizontal or an lar,

and is therefore particularly adaptab e for use on shipboard where economy of 'Waele is always of maximum importance.

' can not form in the Huid-in any position ythe shell of theA A further object of the invention is to provide a cooler infwhich there is no packed'- .my improved cooler the interior of the cooling chamber is maintained entirely full of the o ilor other Huid to lbe cooled under the v circulatingy pressure so that air:- pockets iny which the cooler may set.

Specification -o1' Letters Patent. Y Application filed July 16, 1917.' 'serial No. 180,885.-

joint betweenthe passages of the two'liquids Patented Mar. 3o, 1920. y

so that all leakage of eitherliquid is to theoutside of the ap aratus and not into the passages of the ot er liquid. Thisfeature is particularly, desirable for oils or other liquids of similar 44characterwhich must be kept free from contact with the coolinv liquid. My improved cooler is also' designe so that the tubes and other parts'of the device may freely'expand and contract without straining the apparatus or loosening the Jolnt's between the several parts.

A further object of the invention is toprovide a cooler which is of simple construction and cheap cost of manufacture,

the long walls of the oil passages being formed of thin metal shaped to form a l helical balie or continuous screw extending from endto end of the shell or'casing, or the' helical bafiie may be formed of identical sheet metal stampings which are readily. assembled in the chamber of the cooler and which are interchangeable so that if any part becomes worn or corroded it may be readily replaced at small expense.

In the accompanying draw-ings I have illustrated a preferred embodiment of my invention which has been found highlyssatisfactory in actual use and also several modified forms of apparatus having certain' special features of advantage..

In said drawings,

Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of one form of/my improvedcooler Fig., 2 is a section on line 22 of F ig. l; A' Figs. 3 and 4 are detail views of a water tube baille which may 'or maynot be used, depending on conditions pertaining to the individual installation, as `willfloelater describedg' Fig. 5 is adetailperspective-view showing a modified construction of the helical vane which forms the long passage for the Huid to be cooled;

Fig. 6'is a longitudinal sectional view of a portionof vthe apparatus showing a modified' form of cooler;

, Fig.' A't' is a v longitudinal sectional view similar to Fig. 8 is a sectional view of a portion of coolershowing a further modification;

Fig. v1 of a modified form of rig.v ais a an fad-ina' sectional view similar to Fig. 1 showing a further vmodiication of the apparatus; y

Fig. 10 is a longitudinal sectional View of a portion of the .cooler showing an additional modification; and.

Figs. 11, 12 and 13 are detail views of modified forms of separate baille members. Referring to the drawings, particularly Fig. 17 yl indicates the shell of the appara-` tus which as here shown is `tubular and is provided near one end with a flanged inlet 2 for the passage ofthe oilor. the liquid ,to be cooled.

head 5 after the manner of boiler' tubes, td

produce rigid and fluid-tight joints.

The water-head comprises a lateral water inlet 9 and a central longitudinal water outlet 10, the inlet leading into an annular A'chamber 11 communicating with all the small tubes 8. The wall between the outlet 10 and the chamber 11 terminates in the same plane as theattaching flange of the water-head so that when the water-head -is clamped against the shell, the sage will be cut olf from the water inlet, thel former communicating with the large `central tube and the latter with the smaller tubes. At the opposit end the .shell is similarly flanged to provide a seat forthe end cap 3.

The end cap 3 is open at one end and flanged' ainst the flange of the shell to form a fluid-tight joint to provide a seat to be clamped ag therewith. Adjacent to the open end the capis provided with a lateral flangedopening forming a seat for the connection of the 'f outlet pipe forfthe oil to becooled. Thek Vfwater tubes project into thecap beyond the opening 20 and-'are all connected to a floating head or return drum 21 whose cylindri- `cal wall fits loosely in the'cap to permit free expansion and contraction of the- Water tubes. by a head 21a having a deep flange threaded into the. drum to form a secure joint easily rendered fluid-tight to prevent leakage of the circulating Water Ainto the oil.v

To cause the oil in passing through the cooler to follow a path sufficiently long to be cooled` to the desired degree bv its passage. through the` shell at a moderately rapid rate of flow. the shell is provided with a yhelical baille orcontinuous screw 19 of sheet outlet pas-- The outer end of the drumis closed'v vmetal of a diameter substantially 'equal to the internal diameter of the shell. The large middle tube 7 forms an axial support for the helix and the surrounding tubes 8 intercept the helical passage formed by the Yanes of the helix passing through suitably arranged holes in the vanes. The vanes of the helix are maintained in suitably spaced relation by means of rods 19, which may be six in number as shown, the rods extending between the inner faces of the tube plates through holes near the periphery of the helix and abutting at each end against the tube plates 5 and 21. Spacing sleeves 19b are supported between each two adjacent turns or vanes of the helix and betweenV the end vanes and heads of the shell. The spacing sleeves. may be formed of ordinary pipe sections or nipples of a size to slip over the rods.

lnstead of making the helix as a single unitary structure, each turn or vane of the helix 19 may be made 0f a separate sheet of metal of the shape shown in Fig 5, that is, a sheet metal disk or stamping 19c of substantially the diameter of the interior of the shell and 4perforated for. the passage of the tubes, the disk being radially slit and twisted or bent to form a single complete turn of a helix.- The separate vanes may be connected at their edges in any suitable manner,` for instance, the radial edges of the vanes may be crimped as shown and interlocked one with the other by clamping the adjacent crimped edges together to form a continuous screw or helix substantially filling the interior space of the shell and providing a continuous spiral passage for the oilfrom the inlet 2 of the shell to the outlet 20.

In one size of the apparatus. as manufactured for the market the pitch of the helix is about two inches and the shell from end to end of the helix about four feet, therefore requiring twenty-four separate disks to form the helix and giving a smooth helical path of fluid having ya length of twenty-four times the mean circumference of the small tube space of the shell.

The separate sheets forming themodified helix of Fig.y 5 will also be maintained in properly spaced relation by means of rods and spacing sleeves so that the disks may y'be madeof thin metal without danger of a vane becoming distorted and interfering with the circulation. i v

In operation the oil or other liquid to be cooled will be pumped into the inlet opening 2 under sufficient pressure to force the oil through the helical passage at a fair rate of flow. Although the passage is long. there will be little friction loss for the reason that the direction of flow is continuous and except for the water tubes and spacing rods, is. freefrom obstructions. By this lrapid circulation all articles of the oil are brought rapidly an successively against the cooling surface under the circulating pressure without dependence upon convection, thereby-maintaining the heating sur face atl its maximum efllclency of operation. This is a feature of prime importance in oill coolers forlthe reason that there is not-a great difference intemperature between the oil to becooled and the circulatingwater,

'as the water usually available for the purpose is seldom at a temperature below 60' or 70 degrees.

Where water' is to be had in unlimited quantities, as upon shipboard, the water tubes may be left fully open so that the water will pass rapidly through the device, thus maintaining as low a temperature as possible throughout the entire passage of the water. When, however, the quantity of water used is limited, or the cost oi pumping is a factor to `be considered, it is sometimes I desirable to mix or agitate the flow of water through the tubesand for that purpose each of theV tubes may be provided with a mixer iof the character shown in Figs. 3 and 4 consisting of a strip4 of sheet metal 25 substantially equal in width tothe inside diamconsequently no strain can 'come uponthe eter of the tube and twistedlin the form of here shown as four in number for each strip.- VThe mixers may be easily formed by successively twisting the different parts in opposite directions, the metal between the twists being clamped during the twisting operation at the llat connecting portions 26. With a mixer of this character the flow of the water through the tube first in onedirection and then in the otherbalances the pressure on. the mixer circumferentially, whereby the mixerwill remain in place in the -tube 'without fastening of an kind.

With a mixer consisting of a single eli'x of the same direction'A throughout yits length,-

the mixer will be rotated y the passage of 'fluid through the tube andzwill screw itself out of the tube by reason of the engagement of its edges on the wall ofthe tube.

The return drum or head 21 may be easily maintained fluid-tight by. means of a single' packed joint, for the reason that the head is free to move axially in the shell under the 'expansion and contraction ofthe tubes, anfl joint between the drum and cap 3.

The apparatus may be designed to avoid l all packed joints between the oil and the circulating liquid without sacrificing the other advantages of the construction. l have shown an apparatus of this character in Fig.

. 6. 'This form of the apparatus is of the same construction at' the water head end as the type of apparatus heretofore described.

At the other end, the shell 1 is flanged'beyond the opening 20 and is counterbored as 3 a'. succession of reversed connected twists,

`shown`at 12 to form a seat for a packing ring 13 which forms a packed joint between the shell anda water-head 16. .The waterhead 16 `consists' ofl a drum in the -face of which all the tubes are expanded so as to provide -a connection between the outer small tubes and the inner large tube which forms the outlet passage for the circulating water.

The outer end of the drum is closed by a cap plate 17 bolted to the flange of the drum against a suitable packing ring to form a watertight joint to prevent leakage of the circulating water'. The packing ring 13 is clamped in its seat by means, of a flanged ring 14.- 'connected b draw bolts 15 with the flange of theshell, thereby forming 'an oil-tight joint between the drum and the ex- .terior of the water head so thatany leakage of the joint will merely result in a waste of oil and will not result in the water getting into the oil.

The packed joint permits ready expansion y of the tubes with relation tothe shell, the water-head or drum 16 vbeing free to slide longitudinally. The water joint between the drumand its cap is beyond the packed oiljoint'so that any leakage of the water will l simply drip from the end of the drum without possibilityl of reaching the oil chamber.

It will be lnoted that the spacing rods 19l are'ar'ranged close tothe inner surface of the shell, in which position theyserve the additional function o-bailles for impeding the circulation of the fluid at the'outer edge of the helical passa e, -thereby causing a greater flow of the uid through the portions of the passage occupied b the. tubes. I' This is an important feature of t e construc'v tion, for it would be impractical to' arrange the tubes close to' the outer edge of the header in which they are supported, particularly where floating heads such as shown `joints between ythe oil and waterv compartments are obviatedy and in which the parts are 4free to expand and contract without straining the joints.A As here shown the shell is formed oftwo parts 1'L and 1 connectedat their adjacent ends by la suitable expansion joint', for instance, a corrugated tube section 30 with its oppositev ends i Aclamped-to the end flanges of the shell sec--l tions in the manner shown.

With this form of shell the circulating water need not be returned through a large central tube, but the entire shell space may be filled with tubesof uniform size, the tubes 20 i v yond the portion 1d, the shell section is fur- The interior space of the shell sections will be filled with helical baffles forming the i spiral passages i'or the oil from the oil inlet opening adjacent one end of the shell, preferably the water outlet end, to the 011 outlet opening adjacent the other end of the shell.

Instead of employing the expansion joint shown in Fig. 7 I may use instead a packed expansion joint such as shown in Fig. 8. In this case the parts of the cooler may be of exact design shown in Fig. 7, except that the adjacent ends of the two shell sections 1e and 1d are designed to overlap,'the section ld being counterbored or expanded as shown at 34 to receive the end of the section 1c. Be-

ther expanded as shown at 36 to provide a seat for the packing ring 37 which is held in place by clamping ring 39 and draw-bolts 38 between the clamping ring and the flange o'f the shell section 1d.

By using a joint of this character the shell is substantially rigid except Jfor permitting relative longitudinal movement of its two parts, and may be mounted in substantially thesame manner as the one shell of the first described construction.

In Fig. 9 I have disclosed a further modification of theA cooler design in which I employ inplace of the largecentral tube for the return of thecirculating fluid, a central rod or core 48 forming an axis for the helical baiiles 19. To eflect a return passage of the circulating fluid I employ at one end of -the shell a lWater-head 49 having inlet and outlet openings O 43 and a middle transverse partition 44, whereby all the tubes above the lpartition will be connected with the inlet opening 42 and those below the partition with the outlet opening 43, whereby the circulating fluid will flow first through the `upper tubes, thence through the return head and through the lower tubes tothe discharge.

In this form of apparatus I- may employ either the return head construction of Fig. 1

. or the construction of Fig. 6, the latter being preferable for the reason above stated.

. vIn pla-ce of the expansible shell construction ofFigs. 7 and 8 with the tubes running through from end to end for a single passage of the cooling fluid. I may use a modification oi. theT above described floating head.

In Fig. 101 have shown a modification of this character in which the bailles 19 are supported on a central core 48 with the tubes 8 extending from one water-head tothe other. The water-head at one end may be the simple water-head shown in Fig.l 7, while. at the other end there is provided a floating head 45 on opposite sides as indicated at 42.

having a packed joint connection with the yends of the shell if desired, but it is not necessary except at one end. The relative movement of the shell and head may be lreadily taken up by the pipe line by meansl of the expansion joints, or other provisions made for the expansion yand contraction of the pipe line itself.

In Fig. 11 I have disclosed a modified form of baille whereby the baille may be made of cast metal and may be assembled in the shell in sections without permanent connection between t-he separate turns of the helix.

Each separate turn vcomprises an outer ring 4 0 to fit the internal diameterof the shell with an inner vane 41 of thinner metal shaped for a complete turn of the resulting helix. The ring 40 is of' a width equal to the 'pitch of the helix and the vane 41 is perforated for the passageof the tubes 7 and 8. The ring and the vane may be made in one piece or in separate pieces.

The rings. 40 serve to properly space the turns of the helix and also fit snugly withiny the cylinder shell forming in eil'ect a lining for the shell. Thewater tubes 8 hold the several rings against relative rotation so that the vanes form with each other a continuous helical passage from one end of the shell to the other. i

In this structure the rods 19a andspacing nipples 191J may be dispensed with as theA rings 40 give suiiicient rigidity to the vanes to maintain them against distortion. A spacing sleeve may be provided at each end of the shell to properly position the helix with reference to theintake and outlet passages for the oil.

. If desired, the vane 41 may be made of sheet metal `brazed or otherwise fastened in the ring. n 4 In Figs. 12 and 13 I have shown a furthe modification of a 'separate vane for the .helical baille. In this case each baille is made of a stamping of sheet metal with its radial portion or vane 52 similar to the baille 19c shown in Fig.v 5. The baffle of Fig. 11, however, is provided with a flange 50 along its outer edge, the flange being of a depth equal to the desired distance between the baffles,

that is, the pitch of the helix. The flanges are of uniform depth throughout, forming on one side shoulders 51 by means of which each baille may be properly positioned with respect to the next baille of the series for their vanes 52 to form a. continuous helical passage'for the fluidy to be cooled. It

lis not necessary to connect thev bales one with the other, as they will be maintained against relativemovement by the interlocking shoulders and also by the tubes.

Various' other modifications 'and details of construction may obviously be made, and

it is to be understood that my invention includes all such modificationsas fall within the scope of the-appended claims.

I claim: v -1. In' an apparatus of the character described, the combination of a shell forming va chamber for-the Huid to be actedupon, inlet and outlet passages near the opposite ends of said shell, a plurality of tubes-within said shell for-the circulation of the working fluid, a series of bailles in said shell extending transversely to the said tubes, said ballles 1l belng formed of separate interchangeable thin metal units with the ed e of each baille alined with the adjacent e ge of the next succeeding baille to form a circuitous path for the fluid to be acted on from its inlet to its outlet passage and independent means for clamping said ballles fixedly in their proper '25 relative'positions.v i'

2. In an apparatus of the class described the combination of a shell having inlet and Aoutlet ports for the passage ofone of the l liquids, a plurality of tubes within said shell for the passage of the yother liquid, a series of ballles extending transversely of the tubes and connected to form a continuous helical passage for the fluid in the shellv from its inlet to its outlet ports, and means :for maintaining said series of balles properly po'- sitioned with reference to each other and to said ports comprising spacing members of equal length interposed between the adjacent offballl ,v l a `th y 5 0l inlet to its ujtle ports, and'means forjmain- Qseries'ofvjfbailles 'properly posi- ""fer'ence gto leach'other and to P.. ugh f 'saidQA -ballles parallelism`v with -for-the passage'of the'l other liquid, a series ends of rsaid tubes and a helical baille also `'liassa'es of said shell, said baille being sup- .'oi'ts comprising rods extendingklv and sleeves-"supported on -said rds'f, ngzatif-their opposite ends against adj A .ballles andthe end bailles ofthe-series rthe'djacent" endsv of the shell respec- Y' v x their adjacent edges in alinement, lfand @an apparatusof the class describedspacing devices .alsov supported inde 'end- 'binatiqniof a shell` having inlet and quid-i,- a paisley 0f tubes within said hn and connected to. form a continuous helical passage for the fluidv in the shell from its inlet to its outlet ports and means for maintaining said baffles in properly spaced re lation comprising rods passing through the ballles in parallelism with the tubes, and Y sleeves mounted on said rods with their end faces abutting against the surfaces of the adjacent bales and the adjacent ends of theshell, the sleeves between the adjacent ballles being of substantially e ual length and those between theend ba es and the adjacent ends of the shellof unequal length.

5. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination of a shell having inlet and 80 oytlet passages, a helical baille within saidshell forming a ci'rcuitousA path -for the liquid, a plurality of tubes within said shell extending substantially parallel to its axis, and

.forming a passage for a second fluid, said. tubes being arranged in groups for thle seried passage of the second fluid therethrou h,` onel end of each tube being connecte to a service header fixedlyl attached to said shell, the other end of each 'tube be- 90 ing connected to a floating head, allowing v separate expansion of the containers of the separate fluids, said tubes passing through holes provided for this purpose in said helical baille and the elements of said bae -provided with interspacing means supported independently of said shell.- Y'

6. .In an apparatus of the class described, the combination of a shell havin' inlet and outlet passa'l es,A a plurality of tu es in said shell extending longitudinally thereof, .said

.tubes being supported-at one end b a service-header adapted to be attache to said shell, a floating head attached to the other supported on said tubes 'and forming a continuous passage from the inlet to` the outlet porte independently of said shell whereby the tubes and the baille may be removed as a unit the shell. transversely of the tubes. orma ,continuousl lhelical' 1d inthe shell frmjits.

7 In an apparatusof the class describedi j the, combination. of 'a shell havin inlet an outlet passages, a plurality of tu es in said` shellextendinglongitudinally thereof, said tubes being *supported at one end b al service Aheader adapted to be attache ends-of vsaid tubes'and a helical baille supported on said tubes and forming a. con- 120l tinuous passage fron the inlet to the outlet 'passages of said shell, said baille being formed ott-separate elements arranged with l to said U l. shell, a iioatinghead attached to the other shell extending longitudinally thereof, a helical baille within said shell forming a circuitous passage for the liquid from thev their proper relative positions, said spacing elements comprising a plurality of rods extending parallel With said tubes and adjacent the'shell surface to impedethe circulation of the liquid at the surfacey of the shell and cause a greater flow through theportions of the circuitous path occupied by the tubes.

9. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination of a shell, a plurality of tubes in the shell extending longitudinally thereof, detachable headers supporting said tubes, a helical baille within the shell supv ported on said tubes, said baflle being formed of independent elements and spacing devices for maintaining said elements in properly spaced relation, said devices being Wholly upported on Isaid headers,` and said headers, tubes, baffles and spacers beingremovable as a unit from said shell.

l0. ln an apparatus of the class described,

vthev combination of a shell, a plurality of tubes in the shell extending' longitudinally 4 of independent-elements and spacing devices for maintaining said elements' in properly spaced relation, said. devices being wholly supported on said headers and arranged around said tubes to lie 'close to the inner surface of the shell, said header, tubes, baflle and spacers being removable as a unit from said shell.

4In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

RUSSELL C. y JO KES. 

